The New Kid In Town
by Deliwiel
Summary: 2016 Reboot fic! Writing Prompt from Tamuril2: AU where Mac and Jack are in HS, Mac is cornered by the football team and Jack steps in to help. First attempt at an AU. One-Shot, Complete.


_**Okay, so Tamuril2 gave me a few writing prompts and asked me if I could get something out before Thanksgiving, so here you go, chica!**_

 _ **Her prompt was:**_

 _ **AU: Mac and Jack in High School. Mac is being cornered by the football team. Jack jumps in, thinking Mac needs to be protected. Both get a little beat up, but win. Cue start of a beautiful friendship.**_

 _ **So I should warn you all. This is my first attempt EVER at an AU, and I wanted to delete it so many times... XD so basically I feel like the characters are going to be OOC...so...please be gentle in your reviews? :D**_

 _ **Also, I will let you know that I have started on another multi-chapter fic for MacGyver, not the sequel to "Left Behind" yet, but I'm excited about it! ... if I can pull it off XD**_

 _ **I own nothing...still.**_

MacGyver walked down the hallway of his new high school. He held his books casually under his arm as he stared at the lockers, trying to find his. Classes had been going on for a few months, but his family had just moved in, making him the new kid. He hated being the new kid, but maybe no one would notice. He finally located the correct locker, looked at his hand where he had written down the combo and twisted the knob around until it finally clicked open. MacGyver pulled off the lock and went to open his locker, but it was slammed shut with a loud _CLANG_ before he could open it the whole way. Mac looked at who had shut his locker, seeing a large beefy boy standing there with a stupid grin on his face.

"Hey _squashmore_ ," a taunting voice came from behind. Mac turned around and found himself face to face with several other large and extremely muscular boys. He assumed from the lettermen jackets they were wearing that they were on the football team. "Haven't seen you around here before," the boy in front commented.

" _Of course someone noticed that I'm new,"_ he grumbled to himself. "That's because I haven't been here before," Mac replied casually, glancing around to see what he could use to help him if he needed it. As he was observing his surroundings, the boy in front smacked a hand on Mac's books, knocking them out of his hands to the floor. MacGyver's mouth slanted in an annoyed line as he bent down to pick up the fallen books, but the boy pushed him back up.

"No one said you could pick those up," he told Mac.

"No one said you could knock them to the ground," Mac shot back. He grimaced internally. " _Not the greatest comeback ever, Mac,"_ he thought crossly to himself.

"What's your name, Squashmore?" the boy in front asked. MacGyver sighed before answering.

"MacGyver. What's yours?" he replied sassily.

"MacGyver? That's a weird name," the leader sneered. One of the boys bent down and picked up one of his books, holding it up and opening the front cover. MacGyver tried to keep his cool but he was quickly losing his patience.

"MacGyver isn't his first name," the boy informed the group, a sneer crossing his face. He turned to Mac. "Angus? What kind of name is Angus?" A round of laughter burst from the group as Mac ground his teeth together, fists clenching at his side. The leader of the group grabbed the book from his friend's hand, glancing at the name on the inside as if to make sure his friend wasn't making up a name, snickering as he saw " _Angus MacGyver"_ scrawled messily at the top. He threw the book at Mac's feet.

"See you later, _Angus,_ " he jeered. The boys laughed and pushed each other as they moved down the hallway. Slowly, Mac unclenched his fists and teeth, then crouched down to pick up his books. Another hand appeared in his line of sight, grabbing some of his books. He looked up, ready to grab his book away, but it wasn't one of the football players. Another boy was crouching down, a kind look on his face. He still looked older than Mac, more like a senior, but he didn't act like that made him any better.

"Hey man, sorry about them," the newcomer said in a sincere voice. "They're jerks. Name's Jack," he added, holding out his hand. MacGyver shook it, then was surprised when the kid helped him back to his feet.

"I'm assuming you heard my name?" Mac asked in an exasperated tone, gesturing at the retreating backs of the football team.

"Yeah, but don't worry. Whatever you want to be called, that's what I'll call ya," Jack promised.

"Thanks," Mac said. After a few moments of silence, Mac held up his books. "Well I need to get to class," he stated. Jack nodded in agreement.

"Same. See ya 'round," he said as he turned and headed down the hallway.

 _0-0-0_

The final bell rang, releasing the students from the grasp of their teachers. The hallways were flooded with students trying to escape the confining building, all headed out towards the parking lot.

Mac grumbled to himself, cross about having to stay behind for a few extra minutes, needing to talk to the secretary about getting the rest of his records transferred over. By the time he got out, his jeep was basically the only vehicle left in the lot. He headed towards it, jingling his keys as he walked. He was a few feet away from his jeep when he felt a shove from behind, and he stumbled forward. He knew who it was even before he turned around.

"Guys, are we really gonna do this?" he asked, irked that he couldn't even go one day without getting into some sort of trouble.

" _Trouble follows you around like the plague, kid,"_ he heard his dad's voice say in his head. He pushed the voice away as he faced his current predicament.

"We're just tryin' to give you the welcome you deserve, _Angus_ ," the jock in front said. Out of nowhere, two hands were raised and pushed into Mac's shoulders, making him fall back. He managed to catch himself on his jeep, but he realized he and his car were surrounded. His gaze darted back and forth between the half-dozen guys surrounding him, trying to come up with something. "You'd better stay away from my girl, MacGyver!"

Mac's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?" he asked. His question wasn't answered with words. Instead, Mac's eyes widened and he had to duck and roll to avoid the punch that came towards his face. As he was rolling away, the boy attacking him stomped his foot down, narrowly avoiding Mac's shin. He did, however, manage to catch the back of his tennis shoe, dragging the shoe off his foot. Suddenly an idea came to his head. " _Distract them just a little longer,"_ his brain urged him.

" _Yes, thank you for that helpful bit of advice,"_ he snarked back to the voice in his head. He stayed on the ground, kneeling with his back to his jeep. "Listen," he said, lowering his hands slowly so they were behind him. "I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted. He casually slipped one hand into his back pocket, gripping his cellphone while the other hand was slowly taking his sock off his now-shoeless foot.

"Nikki Carpenter is my girlfriend," the man hissed. MacGyver wracked his brain, trying to remember anything. Suddenly he realized he did know a Nikki. She had sat next to him in Chemistry.

" _Of course it's my luck to have talked to the football star's girlfriend,"_ he muttered in his head.

"Nothing is going on man," MacGyver said. With his sock now off, he slipped his cell phone into the sock, keeping his improvised weapon behind his back. "I swear, we were just talking!" His last word rose in pitch as he once again had to roll out of the way of an attack. He stood up and swung his sock, cellphone connecting with the hand of the group leader. He jerked his hand back with a yelp of surprise, waving his hand around to try and alleviate the pain.

"Benny!" he barked. One of the other boys jumped towards Mac, who barely avoided the punch thrown at his face. He was unable to, however, avoid the leg that swept his legs from under him. MacGyver toppled to the ground, landing on his side. He barely noticed the stinging pain in his elbow as the gravel dug into the new wounds. He watched in slight panic as his improvised football-hitter flew out of his hand. He lunged for it, but one of the other meatheads kicked it out of his reach and grabbed him by his shirt, hauling him to his feet.

On his way up, Mac grabbed a handful of loose gravel, flinging it into the face of the jock holding his shirt. As expected, the boy threw up his hands, letting go of MacGyver.

Mac landed on his feet unsteadily, falling back against the hood of his jeep. He tried to get up but the leader, who had recovered from the shock of Mac's hit pushed him back against the jeep, pinning him there. "Listen," Mac panted. "I swear, there's nothing going on between Nikki and me."

That didn't seem to phase the boy, who simply raised his right fist while keeping his left hand on Mac's chest to keep him pinned to the jeep. Mac raised his hands and closed his eyes, trying to prepare himself for the hit. It never came. Mac squinted his eyes open, trying to see what was going on.

"Come on Harry, I think he's had enough," a familiar voice said. Mac opened his eyes further and saw Jack standing there, having grabbed 'Harry's' wrist.

"Stay out of this, Dalton," Harry snarled. He yanked his hand out of Jack's grasp, but Jack grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, making him let go of MacGyver.

"I said that's enough," Jack growled at the football player.

"Whatcha gonna do, Dalton?" Harry scoffed. He turned back to MacGyver, but Jack once again spun him around. This time though, instead of talking to Harry, Jack's fist was introduced to Harry's cheek.

Mac watched as Harry fell, almost in slow motion. He hit the ground and rolled on his back, facing Jack with rage in his eyes. Three of the remaining boys converged on Jack while the other two turned their attention back to Mac.

Mac's eyes widened as the two boys came towards him. He rolled towards his driver side door and yanked it open, slamming it right into the fist of one of the guys coming for him. The football player howled in pain and held his injured fist close to his chest. He backed off, leaving only one guy coming after the new kid. He approached a little warily, not sure what to expect from the kid who made a weapon out of a sock.

As MacGyver dove into his jeep, he tried to shut the door behind him, but the last kid chasing him grabbed it before it could close all the way. MacGyver grabbed the headrest of the driver's seat and pulled it off. He chucked it at the football player, who instinctively covered his face. While he was distracted, Mac kicked out, hitting the football player's forearms. The kid fell backwards and MacGyver jumped out of his jeep. The boy got up and backed away, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. Mac turned to see how Jack was doing, only to find him standing there, grinning like an idiot while the three football players who had tried to attack him were clutching their bleeding noses.

Jack had a split lip and a few cuts on his cheek, but other than that he looked okay. MacGyver walked over to him as Harry got to his feet. The jock took a few steps backwards, glancing around at the rest of his gang.

"C'mon, guys," he growled. They started walking away, but Harry stopped in front of MacGyver. "Watch your back, _Angus,_ " he sneered. "Jackie-Boy won't always be around to help you."

"Uh, I don't think I need to have his back," Jack commented. "Did you not see what he did with just his _sock and cellphone?_ " he asked incredulously. Harry said nothing, just started walking away from the two of them, bumping into MacGyver rather hard. Jack and MacGyver watched the football players walk away and Mac looked at Jack.

"Thanks," he said.

"Not a problem," Jack replied. "Honestly though, that thing you did with the phone and the sock? How'd you come up with that?"

MacGyver shrugged. "I just use what I have around me," he explained.

"Well, however you do it, whatever you do, it's cool," Jack said.

"Thanks," Mac said again. After a few seconds, Jack looked over to the younger man.

"Hey," he said. "I've got a couple friends, Bozer and Riley; we were gonna go get lunch. You wanna come?"

MacGyver thought about it for a minute, then nodded his head. "I'd like that, yeah," he said with a smile. Jack grinned, then bent down and grabbed Mac's shoe. He also reached over and grabbed the cellphone-filled sock, then handed the items back to MacGyver, who pulled out his cellphone and put his sock and shoe back on.

"Great. Come on, they're waiting for us," Jack added. At Mac's questioning look, he elaborated. "I told them about you," he explained. That's why I was coming over here actually. I was gonna invite you to come with us anyway, then I thought you might need a hand. Though I think you could have handled yourself," he added in an impressed voice. Mac scoffed lightly.

"Not for very long," he told Jack. "I'm grateful you came."

"'Course," Jack said, clapping a hand on Mac's shoulder. "You can count on me, kid. I'll be there if you need help."

As the two of them walked towards Jack's car, Mac heaved an inward sigh of relief. Maybe in this school he would be able to finally find some friends.

 _ **So there you have it... my first AU. Whatcha think? Should I steer clear of AU's from now on? XD**_


End file.
